Development and Application of the River Values Assessment System for Ranking New Zealand River Values

In New Zealand and elsewhere no system has existed for objectively ranking the relative importance of different use (e.g., irrigation and hydro electric power) and non-use (e.g., whitewater kayaking, recreational angling, native birdlife) river values. Development of such a system would provide an o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water resources management 2013-05, Vol.27 (7), p.2013-2027
Main Author: Hughey, Kenneth F. D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assessments
Atmospheric Sciences
Biodiversity
Civil Engineering
Decision making
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Electric power
Environment
Exact sciences and technology
Freshwater
Freshwater resources
Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences
Hydrogeology
Hydrology. Hydrogeology
Hydrology/Water Resources
Indigenous animals
Integrated approach
Irrigation
Islands
Kayaking
Management decisions
Planning
Ranking
Recreation
Research funding
Resource management
Rivers
Salmonids
Swimming
Water conservation
Water quality
Water resources
Water resources management
White water
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Summary:In New Zealand and elsewhere no system has existed for objectively ranking the relative importance of different use (e.g., irrigation and hydro electric power) and non-use (e.g., whitewater kayaking, recreational angling, native birdlife) river values. Development of such a system would provide an opportunity for improved policies and rules around water and river use, development and conservation opportunities, and for understanding tradeoffs when competing and overlapping demands are placed on the same resource. In this paper the River Values Assessment System (RiVAS), a Multi Criteria Analysis based approach, is described and demonstrated by application to the salmonid angling value (and in a more limited way to swimming) in Tasman District rivers of the South Island, New Zealand. The system has 10 steps, and a decision support system which finally helps decide the national, regional or local (or high, medium or low) importance or significance of rivers for particular values. As with any MCA approach there is a wide range of limitations all of which are addressed, and none of which are ultimately fatally detrimental to the system.
ISSN:0920-4741
1573-1650
DOI:10.1007/s11269-013-0269-4